Examination fever

When I was in second grade, the wall outside my classroom had a mural titled "Humpty Dumpty Went To School".The so-called bricks were pieces of brown paper which encapsulated each student's feeling about school.

Soon after that went up, a teacher from another class swept into the room. "Whose brick reads : I love school but I hate exams", she asked curiously.

Rather sheepishly, I stood up and owned up to my opinion.


Well, the times they are a-changin'. In medical school, I thought it was a holiday of sorts to have only one exam a month, my personal best was 9.  I only realized how ridiculous I sounded when I relayed that to an engineer in the making ... who frankly told me I was a nerd crossed with a dork.

And today, when I've finished yet another exam, I find myself looking around for yet another exam to do 'coz it feels extremely weird not be studying and working towards some goal,

As the famous tagline goes, " You've come a long way, Baby".

Doctor Witch

I have no time to stand and stare.

The reference to sheep and cows notwithstanding, this poem sums up my life for the next two-and-a-half months and to a greater or lesser degree, the next year.

Just for a week, I'd like to get up in the morning and laze around 'coz I have NOTHING to do. Not longer than that, mind you, I'd go stir crazy ... and that is NOT a fun experience for the people around me.


Doctor Witch

In-Dependence

A decade or so ago, in the course of a conversation, a grand, old matriarch said, “You know, there should be a little "space" between you and everyone, even your husband.” Coming from a lady who, with equal gusto, laughed, loved and fought with her husband of 50 plus years , it seemed a little incongruous. It shocked a naïve teenager whose view of true love was the complete intertwining of two lives, with all facets of one’s personality laid bare to the other.

As she grew up, her viewpoint gradually changed. The true love of the Mills and Boons was what her friends swore they experienced EVERY time. It reeked of a wash of hormones, in her considered opinion.
The romances that “went the distance”, were built on a strong foundation of memories and shared experiences, rather than those in which both partners made vociferous public declarations of undying love.

“Love is blind”, she was told. Not quite so.
Carried away by a rush of endorphins, a lot of young couples seemed to rush into relationships, with a certain image of what their partner should be. “He’s so amazing… I’m completely in love, she gushed. “She’s everything I want in a woman”, he enthused.
Further down the line, when the courting stage passed and the partners dropped the images they had previously maintained, the cracks began to show. What they once found attractive about their partner, they now found irritating. The litany of complaints started : “He’s become controlling” , “She’s become needy” …
He reacted to the problems by getting distant or by getting angry with her refusal to fall in with his wishes. She reacted to them by getting jealous and clingy or by freezing him out. Both ended up flirting with other people to test whether the other one really cared. Personal egos entered the relationship and lines of communication broke down.
And so, the love which once bloomed in glory, was smothered by the weeds of misunderstanding,

The love stories that endured, on the other hand, were the more steady (often considered boring) ones. Neither felt the need to convince everyone that their partner was wonderful, there was no PDA, no breathless flutters. However, there was an easy camaraderie, a bond of trust and a security in the relationship. Each maintained their personal opinions and respected the other's even if they were in conflict. Even if they argued long and hard, they took the other's view into consideration when they made the final decision about the issue under consideration. Of course, it was only their near and dear who knew the truth of their arguments, to the world, they were a team with not a ripple of discord between the two. As a result, their bond deepened and richened over the years.

That was when she understood what her wise grandmother had said.
The distance implied independence, but not separateness. If that independence is compromised, one partner becomes a clone of the other ... and the differences that once ignited sparks fade away. One person is the "master" and the other the yes-man, there's no longer a relationship between equals. Love is NOT control.
A good relationship, it seemed, was one where you had the perspicacity to see your partner for what he / she truly was : Appreciate the good qualities and learn to live with the not-so-nice ones ... and yes, being human, most of us try to change them.
For whatever else it is, love IS acceptance.




Doctor Witch

A teacher affects eternity; she can never tell where her influence stops.

A noble profession, the wise men say.
They mould beauty out of untouched clay.
Plant seeds of thought and watching them grow
Into beautiful blossoms with an eternal glow.
So here's wishing them a very happy Teachers' Day.

Doctor Witch

Νάρκισσος

“Know thyself”, says an Oracle most true,
But there is an exception to every rule.

The son of Cephisus and Liriope he was,
Let us follow this lad’s life course.
His life would be long , his mother was told,
If he never knew himself , or so the story goes.

This youth, he was most fair of face
Lithe, slender and full of grace.
Features oh-so-fine, long, flowing hair
Disdained the love of maidens fair.

The haughty boy’s pride however, came before a fall
Nemesis paid heed to the lovelorn maidens’ calls.
As he passed a babbling brook most clear
Looked down and was entranced by a face so dear.

He cried out to this vision so fair,
Proclaiming his love then and there.
The epitome of beauty, a bewitching young face
Made his heart beat at a rather alarming pace.

However, from the water his love would not arise
Paid no heed to his lovelorn cries
So he languished beside the stream that held his love
Hoping and praying for some help from above.

He wasted away, struck down by a broken heart.
As his final breath from his body did depart,
Realized that the fair lad that he had beheld
Was the reflection of none other than himself.

The Gods turned him into a pristine, white flower
To remind us that narcissism isn’t a virtue by far.

Doctor Witch

You Are Stuck In My Heart...

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone.
It's not warm since she went away.
It's been 41 days since she's gone
And the house just ain't no home ever since she went away.

They say that even this will pass away ... but when, oh when does it stop hurting?



Doctor Witch

Grandmothers hold our hands for a short time but our hearts forever.

'Twas again that time of the year
This time, her day was devoid of cheer.
For it was the twenty second day
Since her darling grandma had passed away.
And it would be the very first birthday
Without her Ammuma's usual "Happy Birthday, molley"
From the lady who moulded her life in ways she didn't know
Gave her love of reading and medicine and watched them grow.
She brooded on ; lost in memories of days gone by,
Irrationally wondering why people have to die.
When suddenly her reverie was broken by a ring shrill
Disoriented, she jumped up, 'twas the phone's trill.
She picked it up and heard her Grandpa's bellow.
"Hello , hello !!! Athu Parvati aano?"
"Yes, Appupa", she replied concernedly, "Are you okay?"
"Of course, I am. But isn't it your birthday today?"
The rest of the conversation passed by in a haze
When she hung up, a glint of happiness brightened her gaze.
For her Appupa had never remembered his grandchildren's birthdays ever before in his life
Without some not - so - gentle prodding from his beloved wife.
The day, it got much better from there.
Some might call it whimsical, but she doesn't care,
For it seemed like her darling Ammuma had told her,
"Kariyalle, ponnumolley. When you call me, I'll always be here"



Doctor Witch